Warmth
by Jalee
Summary: Oneshot. Heero & Relena best friends fic. Relena's acceptance is all Heero needs.


**Warmth**

Disclaimer: Not mine.

* * *

"And so..?" Relena asked with a twirl of her hand.

"And nothing," Heero returned gruffly. "It's a momentary feeling. It will pass."

He sipped at his coffee, hoping that the cup hid his blush efficiently.

Relena sighed dramatically, propping up her chin with her right hand.

"Well, if you like her, you really should go for it," she said with a pout.

Heero further blushed at the use of the wrong pronoun.

"Don't become an old prude, wondering what would've happened."

Heero coughed, looking up to smirk at his friend.

"Well, I have you, so in the end, it doesn't matter anyway," he teased.

Relena laughed, fingering the necklace that Heero had given her last Christmas.

"Well, if you must know, I will find my own Prince Charming, and then there won't be any space in my life for you." She sniffed, looking at him haughtily.

Heero had frozen at those words though, and Relena paused at the stricken look on his face.

"I'm joking," she admonished, glaring at him.

Heero broke out laughing, then winked at her.

"So am I."

* * *

It was winter, and the cold air had Heero and Relena rushing through the park to get back to the warmth of the hotel. Relena had slipped her right hand into Heero's sleeve after complaining that her gloves weren't thick enough for the Berlin winter. That had thoroughly distracted them, and now Heero wondered if they will make it in time.

"What will you be doing during the Christmas holidays?" Relena asked, pressing up against Heero's side to share his warmth.

"Running errands in the colonies, probably," Heero replied, puffing lightly. "The Preventers haven't had a quiet Christmas in years."

He himself had definitely not had any holiday time in a long time.

"Then let's go present shopping now," Relena suggested, pulling at Heero's fingers in the sleeve that they shared. "I don't want to give you your present late again."

"As if," Heero snorted. "We have to get you back now before your bodyguards panic and start thinking that I kidnapped their precious princess."

Relena smacked his arm, and he laughed, poking her side.

"Stop it," she huffed, stumbling deliberately into him.

She pulled her right hand out of Heero's sleeve and stuffed it into his pocket. She then crawled under his arm so that it rested snugly across her shoulders.

"Guh," she muttered, wiggling her fingers. "You haven't told me anything about your love life in a while. How is it been between you and your crush?"

Heero blushed, though it probably wasn't obvious through his wind-bitten cheeks.

"Why are we talking about that? Let's not talk about that," he groaned.

"Why not?" Relena asked heatedly. "This is your future we're talking about. She could be your potential wife, and you'll never know unless you do something about it."

Heero thought that he should tell her one day that his crush could never be his wife - ever. Unless he changed genders, which was as improbable as Relena declaring her love for onions.

"I told you, it's just a passing thing," Heero muttered. "Besides, I'm not interested in relationships at the moment."

Relena pouted and sighed.

"Well, if you say so," she conceded. "Just don't waste your chances, alright?"

Heero nodded absently, wondering if he had any chances to begin with. With that guy, he probably didn't. Well, that is unless he got the stick out of his ass long enough to notice that people were actually looking at him as an ideal romantic partner, and that he had more good qualities in him than he was willing to acknowledge. Then again, that was probably not going to happen unless he got hit with the truth, and Heero certainly wasn't going to be the culprit.

"So, what's for dinner tonight?" Relena said, changing subjects easily.

Heero blinked at her.

"Well, if we're going out-"

"No," Relena objected quickly and venomously. "Last night's dishes were horribly filled with onions. Like, eww. You are so cooking."

"Alright, whatever you say, princess," Heero teased.

He broke out laughing when Relena smacked him again.

* * *

It was Relena's birthday, and Heero felt like a prick for not being able to attend the private party that she'd invited her close circle of friends to. And so, he decided to call her.

"Getting ready?" Heero asked, watching Relena bustle around on the vidphone.

"I forgot to make an appointment at the hairdresser's," Relena said, stopping long enough to pout at the screen. "Now I can either tie this whole mess up or cut it off entirely. The latter sounds really good just about now."

Heero laughed lightly, shifting in his chair.

"Just braid it back," he suggested. "It'd look fine."

Relena turned to look at something, her mirror probably, before shrugging.

"Yeah," she murmured, clipping on her earrings. "By the way, aren't you busy?"

"I have to accompany Une somewhere later," he muttered. "Apparently, she thinks that the appearance of ex-Gundam pilots would make a vital difference in the outcomes of the vote."

Relena smiled wistfully at him.

"Well, what you guys did for Earth and the colonies really had an impact."

Heero shrugged, not wanting to talk about it.

"Speaking of which," Relena continued, raising an eyebrow. "How are the others? I haven't seen them in a long time."

"Trowa's having fun at the circus, Duo's playing around with his junkyard, and Wufei's maxing himself out with the Preventers," Heero answered with a sigh.

"Really working hard, isn't he?" Relena said, laughing lightly. "You should look up to him as an example." She nodded with a mock serious look on her face.

Heero fidgeted.

"Actually," he muttered reluctantly.

"Yes?" Relena said, prompting him.

"Well, I- That is-" He broke off, not knowing how to say it. Really, if only his crush had been a passing thing and not a passion that attacked him in his spare time like an insistent pest.

"What is it?" Relena asked, frowning now.

"Well, you see, Wufei- That is-"

Heero gestured uselessly with his hands, suddenly feeling like hiding. He looked up, giving her a helpless look.

Relena formed an 'O' with her mouth, a light dawning in her eyes.

"Oh."

"Yeah."

She was silent for a long time. Heero wondered if turning off the vidphone would be proper at a time like this.

"Shit."

Heero looked up, his eyes wide at the sudden use of profane language.

"Crap," Relena muttered, biting her lips. "You won't tell him that I said that he could be your potential wife, would you? 'Cause he would kill me. Like, hard."

Heero cocked his head, feeling that tight feeling in his chest loosen.

"I don't know," he mused. "Maybe he'd just get extremely red in the face. That would be something worth seeing."

His grin was met by a snort from Relena's end.

"Yeah, well, maybe it would be a positive kind of blush."

And this time, it was Heero who floundered for words.

Relena laughed, coming closer to the vidphone.

"Whatever it is, or whoever, just go for it," she said seriously. "I'll be here supporting you no matter what."

"I know," Heero muttered, smiling weakly back at her.

Relena huffed in a pleased way, twirling around to look at the mirror again.

"You sure that the braid will be fine? I have to go in, like, five minutes."

"You'll be beautiful," Heero said in a hopefully assuring way, cracking his stiff neck.

Relena turned back to him, a sweet look on her face.

"I love you," she said suddenly.

Heero felt a blush spread in his cheeks.

"Me too," he answered hesitantly, though he couldn't help grinning back at her.

Relena bit her lips and smiled again at him slowly.

"I love you and, no matter what, I will treasure your friendship and love."

Heero thought that the heat in his face would boil him alive.

"Go," he croaked, flicking a hand at her. "Don't be late again."

"Yes, sir," she said laughingly, saluting him.

And then she was gone. But her smile and warmth remained, a comforting weight in Heero's heart.


End file.
